Fort Cornwallis

Fort Cornwallis occupies the point where the first trading settlement on Penang was established in 1786, and its plan is the classic star with four corner bastions. The original earth and palm structure was replaced in brick around the turn of the nineteenth century, and what survives is essentially that: low ramparts, a magazine, a small chapel and the outline of the moat, which has been partly excavated and re-flooded in recent years. Old cannon are ranged along the seaward wall, among them a Dutch piece with a long local reputation for granting wishes. Inside the walls the ground is open grass, used for concerts and events, and the sea view over the channel is a working one, full of ferries and freight.

What you actually see

• The star-plan ramparts - four bastions and low brick walls in their original outline.
• The old cannon - the ranged guns along the seaward wall, including the Dutch Seri Rambai.
• The excavated moat - the re-flooded ditch uncovered by archaeology on the landward side.
• The chapel and magazine - the small brick buildings standing inside the walls.

When to go

Late afternoon is best, with the sun off the brick and the sea breeze picking up; before ten in the morning is the other option. The interior is largely unshaded, so midday is hard work. Evening events and light shows occupy the parade ground on some dates, which changes both the ticket and the atmosphere. Check whether the moat walk is open before paying.

Honest expectations

For the ticket price you get a modest site, and visitors expecting a castle find low walls and grass. Interpretation has improved but is still thin in places. There is very little shade and the glare off the brick is fierce. The neighbouring esplanade and clock tower are free and arguably give as much of the setting as the fort itself does.

Nearby

The esplanade, the colonial civic buildings and the Penang state museum are a few minutes away.